Abortion: Safe and Legal?

The Marie Stopes chain of clinics consistently advertises their abortions as "safe" - in newspaper advertisements, on rubbish bins and at their facilities on their signage. A colleague of mine, who commutes by train, was alarmed at the numerous “Safe Abortions” poster advertisements at train stations.

Abortion is a difficult choice for a woman, and very few women admit publicly to having had an abortion. The psychological trauma of aborting one's own child - with the self- doubt and loathing that this often provokes - makes women who have had abortions the people who are least likely to complain publicly about "service" that did not meet the advertised expectations. In fact, because guilt is almost invariably associated with abortion, women who are physically injured by the abortion often consider their injuries their just reward for their action.

It is reckless and irresponsible to allow Marie Stopes to continue to advertise their abortions as "safe". No medical procedure is safe, and abortion is especially unsafe and painful. An American study estimates the immediate physical complication rate from abortion at no less than 10 % (David Reardon, "Aborted Women, Silent No More", Acorn Books, 2002, p93, citing DA Grimes and W Cates, Jr., "Abortion: Methods and Complications", Human Reproduction, 2nd edition, p796 to 813).

In September 2006, a woman was awarded R500 000 in damages by a Pretoria Court because of a botched abortion (at a Marie Stopes clinic), which resulted in an emergency hysterectomy and left her unable to bear any more children.

Lastly, since abortion results in the death of the pre-born baby, it definitely cannot be considered safe for the baby girl or boy. Abortion leaves one dead and one wounded.